UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set for two crucial games that will decide the team's Empire 8 Tournament fate. The Pioneers will host Alfred University on Friday, February 16 at 5:30 p.m. and then host Elmira on Saturday, February 17 at 2 p.m. and honor its seniors with a brief ceremony before the game.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend either game can tune in for live video and/or stats here.
 
Last Time Out: The team topped Keuka College 76-44 to earn a crucial Empire 8 victory on Monday night. Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) poured in a career-high 18 points with three rebounds, five assists, and one steal and was lights out going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) scored 13 points with eight boards, two blocks, and two steals while Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) had 12 points and nine boards with three assists. Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) dropped 11 points with two rebounds and two assists with Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) hauling in nine boards and five points. Utica shot 9-for-17 from beyond the arc and that deep range shooting played a crucial role in the team's win. Sage jumped out to a quick 5-0 start, yet Utica stormed right back with Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) nailing back-to-back triples to put the team up 12-7 at the 3:58 mark. The lights out shooting continued as Rotando canned a pair of triples to aid the Pioneers in holding a 20-10 edge after one quarter of play. Utica kept the momentum rolling with a six-point scoring run to begin the second frame to put the team up 26-10. Hall and Rotando each hit another three-pointer to increase the Pioneers lead to 34-11 at 5:11. Sage had a few buckets, yet the Pioneers continued firing, ending the frame on an eight-point scoring run to lead 44-14 at the half. Utica's offense continued to be resilient with Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) and Rotando boasting strong quarters each hitting a three-pointer and a layup to give the Pioneers a 63-26 lead after three quarters of play. Lagase and Jordan Carmosino (Ringwood, NJ/Lakeland Regional) each enjoyed strong fourth quarters to guide Utica to a 76-44 Empire 8 victory.
 
The Time is Now: Utica can clinch the No. 5 seed with two more wins this weekend which would get them to 7-9 whereas Alfred and Elmira cannot finish higher than 6-10 in that scenario. Utica plays both Alfred and Elmira this weekend, so they control their own destiny. There is a chance Elmira, Utica and Alfred would all finish tied; in that case Elmira would be the No. 5, with at least three head-to-head wins over Alfred/Utica. From there, it would depend on Alfred and Utica's second meeting on Friday.
 
3 Point Barrage: Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) is fresh off a career-high 18 point performance against Keuka in which she went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. The graduate student has hit at least one three-pointer in seven of her last nine games and has turned into one of Utica's top deep range threats.
 
Burchhardt Buckets: Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) turned in a phenomenal week that was headlined by guiding the team to a crucial Empire 8 road victory over Keuka to remain in the playoff hunt. The sophomore had a fantastic game against the Wolves where she poured in 21 points, nine rebounds, and four assists with one steal while shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and hitting multiple clutch shots to aid the Pioneers in the road victory. Burchhardt had six points, five rebounds, and two assists against St. John Fisher earlier in the week and has been a consistent scorer and rebounder for Utica. 
 
Scoring Machine: Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) turned in another impressive week and has continued to be one of the most elite scorers in the conference. She poured in 13 points with five rebounds against St. John Fisher and followed this up with 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks against Keuka and played a major role in the team's victory. Hall dropped 13 points with eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals vs Keuka on Monday night and has started to turn it up a notch defensively marking the second straight-game with two steals and two blocks.
 
Gimme That: Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) and Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) are fresh off great performances against Keuka where each hauled in an impressive nine boards apiece. Geraci brought in multiple offensive rebounds and gave Utica plenty of second chance scoring opportunities while Halvarson was a steady rebounder all game while also pouring in 12 points with multiple converted and-ones.
 
Scouting Alfred: The Saxons are currently 9-13 and 5-9 in conference play and are currently the six seed and can finish as high as fifth or as low as seventh. The team will clash with Utica on Friday, February 16 and wrap up its regular season against Keuka on Saturday, February 17. The Saxons are led by the duo of Leah Harkenrider and Grace Rittenhouse who each average at least 10.7 points per game with both racking up over 41 steals this season. Harkenrider is also one of the conference's top deep-range threats with 45 made three-pointers and a .315 three-point percentage. Jaidyn Chest and Felicia Stewart are two more solid scoring options with each averaging at least 6.9 points per game. Natalee Collins is a fine shot blocker with 21 rejections this season.
 
Looking at the Soaring Eagles: Elmira is currently 10-11 this season and 5-9 in conference play and are currently the five seed and can clinch the five seed with two wins this weekend. The team will clash with Keuka on Friday, February 16 and wrap up its regular season against Utica on Saturday, February 17. The team is led by a trio of scorers as Laura Bogota, Nevaeh Winston, and Alleney Klunk who each average at least nine points per game. Winston is one of the premier defenders in the conference with 42 steals and 22 blocks with Bogota swiping 33. Bogota and Klunk are two perimeter threats with each canning at least 25 made three-pointers this season while shooting over a .300 clip from deep.

Up Next: If qualified, Utica will hit the road for the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament on Tuesday, February 20 with the time, opponent, and host site to be determined.